


Worth Waiting For

by KillianJones32



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Even moves away and they miss each other a lot basically, Fluff and Angst, M/M, One Year Later, the squads comforting Isak and missing Even themselves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 17:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9334862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillianJones32/pseuds/KillianJones32
Summary: Even gets accepted to study at a college abroad. Isak has to stay home for his last year in school. It's four months until Even comes home for winter break. They can make it four months...right?





	

Even first brings it up in April.

Even and Isak are sitting on Isak’s bed, Even lies with his back against the wall as he contently runs his fingers through Isak’s hair. Isak lies with his head in Even’s lap and his feet hanging over the side of the bed.

The room is quiet, Isak’s eyes are closed and he could happily doze off here but it’s his turn to make dinner; which pretty much means that it’s Even’s turn to make dinner and Isak’s turn to pretend he’s helping and not just staring at Even as he cooks but they should really start soon.

“Hey, Isak?” Even says, breaking the tender silence softly. 

Isak opens his eyes, blinking twice before his eyes finally settle on Even’s expressionless face.

“Yeah?”

“There’s em…well you know how I had my class with the careers teacher yesterday?”

Isak nods, remembering vividly how Even pulled away from their make out session yesterday to go to his meeting.

“Well I was telling her how I wasn’t sure what college I wanted to go to yet but that I was interested in film and so she em…she gave me a few brochures on some she thought I’d be interested in.”

Isak raises an eyebrow, “Oh yeah?”

Even swallows, “Yeah and there’s…there’s one I think I really like but I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to do a lot more research on it and it seems like you’ve to be pretty smart to go there and I’ve been absent a lot so that might set me back-“

Isak reaches a hand up to stroke Even’s cheek causing Even to visibly relax.

“You’re plenty smart babe. Your absences were understandable nobody will hold them against you. What college is it?”

Even’s stroking of his hair pauses for a second. 

“It’s em…well it’s one in eh… America.”

Isak stares back at him, certain he must have heard wrong.

“Isak?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you…did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah” Isak whispers “Yeah I think I did”

“A-and?” Even’s eyes search Isak’s face, searching for some sign of how he’s feeling, what he’s thinking.

“Well I…” Isak pauses and tries to figure out what the hell he does think about this. “Isn’t college there ridiculously expensive?”

“Well I…I wouldn’t technically be going to that college. I’d be enrolled in that art university in Oslo but they’ve a programme with a school in America, I can study there for the first and possibly third year if I like. The one in America is more about directing which…which I’d be more into. But I mean…I’m still not sure and it’s high grades and-“

Isak sits up then and leans in to kiss Even’s lips slowly.

When he pulls away, Isak can feel his eyes beginning to water but he knows he has to say this now or else he never will.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Even whispers, shock and confusion laced in his tone.

Isak strokes his cheek again and closes his eyes, internally cursing when his tears fall onto his cheeks.

“It’s okay” Isak repeats, opening his eyes and forcing himself to look at Even whose eyes are glassy themselves. Just the thought of them being separated is enough to bring them both to tears. Isak’s not sure how on Earth they’d be able to survive if they were really apart for months on end but if it’s for Even’s career then they’ll make it work. 

“We’ll…we’ll be okay.” Isak coughs then because even he can hear the uncertainty in his voice and Even can’t hear that right now. Even needs to think…he needs to know that Isak supports this. “We’ll be alright, really. It’s just one year. Then you’ll be home. And yeah maybe another but then you’ll be back.” Isak smiles and prays it comes across convincing, “I want you to go.”

Even tilts his head back, fighting back his own tears.

“Isak you don’t have to-“

Isak quickly moves himself so his legs are laying either side of Even’s and he moves his other hand to Even’s cheek and continues to caress them soothingly.

“I’m not lying. I…okay it would kill me to see you go. But that’s just because of how much I love you. Even this is your dream. Just…I’m not saying you have to go but…applying can’t hurt.”

Even straightens his head and Isak leans his forehead against his.

“Nothing will change” Isak whispers “Not between us. I’ll still be here, loving you, missing you until you come home again.”

Even speaks but his words are so soft that if Isak hadn’t been sitting so close, he wouldn’t have heard them, “I don’t want to leave you.”

Isak chokes down more tears, determined to be strong.

“I know baby. I know. But if this is your dream then I’ll support you until the end. We can Skype? We’ll text every day, well more like every hour knowing us.” Isak rubs his nose back and forth against Even’s slowly and smiles, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

For a minute, they simply stare at one another but then Even nods, wraps his arms around Isak’s waist and hugs him tightly.

They can worry about the future when it comes. But for this minute, they’ll stay here in each other’s arms, focusing on nothing else but one another.

…

Even gets accepted into the college.

Even gets accepted into the programme to transfer to America.

Even’s moving to America for a year.

Isak’s staying in Norway for his last year of school.

The night they get the news neither of them speak, neither of them comfort or console the other. Both of them know exactly how the other is feeling and both of them know that no words can make the other feel better.

No words can make this situation hurt less.

…

For the next few months, Isak fights to stay strong.

He’s there when Even confirms his acceptance, smiling and squeezing Even’s hand in reassurance. He’s sitting right beside Even when he tells his parents, when he tells his doctors and their friends.

When things get a bit much and Even falls into a depressive slip, Isak is there, lying beside him on the bed, whispering words of this minute, his love for Even and how they’ll work through this and how Isak won’t leave him, he promises.

But now that they’re here at the airport, Isak is suddenly hit with the realisation that Even is going.

He’s not just…going home for the weekend or going home to collect some clothes from his parents.

Even’s leaving the country, the continent and he won’t be coming back for four months, not until Christmas.

Isak always knew that Even was going but…knowing that this will be the last time he will see him face to face for the next few months is so, so much harder than he thought possible.

It’s way too soon before they reach the barrier where you need a boarding pass to get through.

Suddenly Isak just can’t let go of Even’s hand.

Even turns to stand in front of Isak, he brings his suitcase to a halt and uses that hand to stroke Isak’s cheek and hair gently.

“I love you” Even whispers “Fuck Isak I love you so much.”

Isak uses his free hand to play with the string on the hoodie Even’s wearing; the hoodie that once belonged to Isak. He’s pretty sure that half of the clothes in Even’s suitcase are Isak’s and half the clothes in Isak’s wardrobe are Even’s but that’s alright. They sort of silently agreed upon it anyway.

“I love you too” Isak breath catches in his throat “I…Even…”

His voice trails away, he knows there are things he wants to say, thinks he wants Even to know but he just can’t think of them, he can’t get the words out.

Thankfully, Even knows. He kisses Isak’s forehead lovingly, Even is close to tears himself but he can’t let them fall. Isak has been so strong, so brave for the past few months. Now it’s Even’s turn.

“We’ll be okay.” Even promises “Remember what you said? Nothing’s gonna change between us and I’ll be home for the holidays.”

Isak pouts that ridiculously cute pout of his, “That’s so far away.”

Even kisses the pout and rubs his nose along the side of Isak’s, “It’ll be here before you know it. Plus you’re gonna be too busy studying to notice my absence.”

Isak looks up at him with wild, outraged eyes.

“How could-“

Even kisses him again, “Joking, just joking kjekken*”

Isak visibly softens at the affectionate pet name but not completely.

Even catches a glimpse of his watch and his heart drops to his stomach when he realises that it’s time to go.

Pulling Isak into a tight hug, Even memorises the feel of Isak’s embrace, the feel of his hair tickling his cheek, how Isak’s arm clutches his backpack to pull him closer, the comforting sound of Isak’s heart beating in his chest.

“I love you” Even whispers in Isak’s ear and he comes so close to breaking down right there and then when he feels Isak’s tears fall onto his shoulder.

“I love you too” Isak replies

Even takes in a deep breath, steps back, adjusts the bag on his shoulder and just looks at Isak for a minute, taking in every feature of his face.

“I’ll be back in a few months” Even isn’t sure if he’s reminding Isak or himself, probably both

Isak nods, “I know”

Even kisses Isak’s cheek, his forehead, his lips and rubs his nose along Isak’s nose one last time for good measure.

“I love you” Even says again because he needs Isak have no doubt about that before he goes.

“I love you too baby”

Even steps back then takes another step, his eyes on Isak the whole time but he can’t move further because Isak still has his hand in a death grip.

“Isak-“

“Have-“ Isak coughs and uses his other hand to wipe away his fallen tears before smiling “Have a great time.”

Even can’t resist closing the distance between them again, kissing Isak one last desperate time.

“I-“

“You love me, I know” Isak teases, his smile turning genuine now and Even is so glad that he gets to see that smile before he leaves.

“I really do.”

It takes everything in him to pull away, to untangle his fingers and to step away from Isak.

“I’ll text you when I board the plane…or waiting to board the plane…and I’ll text you when I land.”

“Okay.”

“Let me know you got home safe.”

Isak swallows, “Yeah I will.“

Even wants to talk more, reassure Isak more, remind him of how much he loves him but there’s no time.

“I love you.” Even says once again, his voice breaks ever so slightly in the middle of the word ‘love’.

Isak’s smile slips from his face and he sniffs, “I love you too.”

Even walks slowly backwards, his eyes on Isak the whole time before he forces himself to turn away to find the line for the check in.

He’s grateful that the woman who scans his boarding pass asks no questions of his tear stained face. Maybe she sees it a lot, who knows. Airports can be sacred, intimate places despite how large and populated they are.

Once he’s through the check in, he turns and even though he knows he shouldn’t, he looks back.

Through a small slit of glass, he can see Isak still standing where he left him. His blond hair slightly messy from Even running his fingers through it all evening, his hands uselessly hanging at his sides and when Isak catches his eye, he smiles that shaky smile of his that kills him. Because even though he can’t see it, he can tell that Isak’s crying just from that smile.

‘I love you’ Even mouths

‘I love you too’ Isak mouths back.

Even turns away, hopping on the escalator up to the security checks and just like that, the first minute of their time apart begins.

Even wonders if all of the other minutes will hurt just as badly as this one.

…

For the following weeks Isak just walks around in a daze.

Eskild, Noora and Linn all try to distract him in their own ways and Isak greatly appreciate their efforts but it just doesn’t work.

Eskild will lie with him on his bed and put on Netflix on Isak’s laptop, saying they can watch whatever Isak wants. But as they scroll through the site, all Isak can see are all of the recommended romantic drama movies because he used to watch a lot with Even. Well if he’s being honest, Even used to watch them and Isak used to watch Even watching them.

Eskild knows this of course and tries to scroll past those sections quickly as he can see Isak avoiding looking at the screen whenever they’re choosing and whenever Eskild asks what Isak wants to watch, Isak merely mumbles a soft, ”whatever”.

So Eskild usually chooses something dramatic and intense like Narcos to get Isak’s mind off things or something amusing like Friends to try and get Isak to laugh. It takes five days after Even leaves to get Isak to laugh properly again, he didn’t even realise it was such a big deal but when he sees Eskild and Lin sigh in relief, he realises it was.

Not all of them think that sitting inside in Even’s old pyjamas is a great way for Isak to deal with this separation healthily so Noora makes it her mission to get Isak out of the house for at least an hour a day that doesn’t include going to school.

She brings him shopping with her, it helps balance out the food they have at kollektivet seeing as Isak, Eskild and Lin always complain about the lack of junk food they have but never seem to find the will to go shopping themselves.

By the time they reach the checkout, Noora’s basket is full of fruit, vegetables, yogurt, bread and milk. Isak’s basket contains two frozen pizzas, cheese and a bottle of cardamom. Noora knows better than to ask why.

Sometimes Isak just likes to lie in his bed on the weekends whether his homework has been finished or not, he listens to Nas on his phone or watches Romeo and Juliet clips on YouTube, basically just trying to pass the time until Even wakes up in America so he can text him.

This is where Linn comes in. She’ll silently enter the room, Isak won’t even have to look up to know it’s her and by the time she reaches the bed, he’s already moved to the edge of the bed so she can lie on the other side.

Neither of them say anything, they just lie there next to each other for about an hour and for some reason this makes Isak feel a lot better.

…

Surprisingly…or unsurprisingly everything reminds Even of Isak.

Despite living in America and getting settled into his new dorm and adjusting to college life, Even’s mind is almost constantly on Isak.

He physically stops in his tracks whenever he sees one of the frat boys who practically wear their snapbacks to bed, walking across campus. It always takes him a few seconds to remember none of them are Isak.

He feels jittery a lot but he takes his meds every day, Isak set an alarm on his phone before he left to make sure he takes them whenever he needs to and while at the time, Even complained about not needing to be treated like a baby and that he can remember himself, he’s actually really grateful that Isak cared enough about him to do it.

Everything was easier to deal with when Isak was with him though; at least his hands always had something to do. He could hold Isak’s hand. He could twirl his fingers in Isak’s hair. He could gently caress his cheek. Now all he can do is draw a quick sketch, grip his own hair or the photograph of Isak that he keeps in his wallet and try to keep his shit together. 

He settles in relatively well though. He misses Isak like crazy but thankfully he’s kept busy.

He goes to a few of the first year parties and they’re great, his roommate is really down-to-earth so they go together and have a good time. He gets offered jay about four times and even though he’s more than tempted, he declines, knowing that Isak would be disappointed if he took it because it’s not good for him.

He likes his course, he’s so glad that Isak pushed him into applying. His class is small so they get to know each other well. They’re graded on assessments so they’ve to start working hard straight away but Even doesn’t mind that so much. He likes working if it’s something he cares about. It keeps his mind busy and distracts himself from missing Isak too much.

Because God, does he miss Isak. He misses everything about Isak.

He misses waking up next to him, he misses holding his hand, he misses being able to tell him how much he loves him in person and not over the phone.

Four months never seemed so long before and even though Isak tells him that he’s doing fine and school is going well, he can tell that Isak’s struggling too.

But they love each other so they’ll make it work. They have to.

…

They Skype at least once a week but send each other cute snapchat photos and videos every day.

The videos range from early morning I miss yous and I love yous to explicit ones which are pretty regular because well they're them and they’re in love and apart from each other and they want to be with each other more than anything okay don’t judge.

There are soft random ones. Even taking videos of street artists he sees or his reaction to a movie he just watched and of course introducing Isak to his roommate and new friends.

Isak videoing the squads at some random party and everyone is dancing and Isak is having a great time and then 240 seconds later Even is watching a very drunk snap video of Isak mumbling how much he loves him and how when Even gets back they should “totally get married or you know watch some cheesy movie or something.”

Their Skype sessions are great but usually they only get to talk to each other for a few minutes before a member of the squad, usually Magnus, interrupts them to talk to Even and see how Even’s doing and Isak is seriously wondering whether Magnus has a crush on Even or something but he secretly loves how well they get along.

Mahdi loves Even too and usually joins Magnus in this intrusion of Isak’s rare private time by asking Evan what the college is like and how he likes studying abroad and what are the girls like. Isak tries and fails not to grin madly when Even chuckles and replies, “they're very pretty...just not as pretty as my Isak.”

Jonas will say hi and join the conversation a bit but not really because he knows how much Isak values the times he can Skype Even and doesn’t want to take up more of their time. He and Even are super chill though. They have a snapchat streak which Isak doesn’t find out about it until it had reached something like 60 days and he was a mix between pleased and annoyed. Mostly pleased, he just pouted and pretended to be annoyed so Even would smile and say soft nice things to him.

Sometimes Isak will be studying with Noora in the kitchen and Even will Skype him and Noora has to set a time limit for how long they can talk for because otherwise they’d be talking all night and they really need to study.

Not that Noora doesn’t like Even because she really does and they talk a lot too. Even checking how Isak is really doing, Noora making sure Even is eating enough and taking care of himself. Noora videos Isak dancing and singing along to 5 Fine Frøkner by Gabrielle in the car one day and Even teases Isak about it for three days.

The whole of kollektivet have Skype chats with Even and Even’s honestly shocked by how much they all miss him.

Linn tells him that the apartment is way quieter without Even’s loud laugh and his curses over video games. She also informs him that he should come back soon because he’s easily the best cook out of all of them and she misses his food.

Noora taking digs at Eskild during these Skype calls and saying how she’d rather Even were here because at least he and Isak made an effort to keep quiet at night unlike Eskild when he has guys over. Eskild of course is very offended and they bicker for three minutes while Linn rolls her eyes and Isak and Even just look at each other lovingly while trying not to laugh. 

Then Eskild will shush everyone to keep talking to Even and Eskild asks how he’s doing and if the college is nice and if Even misses him already. Even clutches his chest and makes a dramatic heartfelt speech about how his life no longer has meaning without Eskild around and Isak laughs harder than he has in weeks.

Even keeping in contact with Isak’s friends turns out to definitely be a good thing and someone else who Even has a snapchat streak with is Eva.

Eva and Isak have gotten back to being best friends again and honestly it’s so great.

They’re on one of their sleepovers watching crappy movies when Isak suddenly really misses Even. It’s the middle of October now and there’s still two months until he'll see Even again but it just hits him that this is the type of movie he’d watch with Even and the romantic male lead just died in the movie and everyone's crying about it.

So suddenly Isak is all emotional and he's crying and he wants Even to cuddle him and tell him everything will be alright and Eva is trying her best to comfort him but she knows that she's not the same.

Eva decides to snap Even a black screen with the caption 'call your boyfriend, now' and it’s less than two minutes later when the theme song from the Romeo and Juliet 1996 movie plays loud from Isak’s phone.

Isak answers immediately and his shoulders visibly relax at the sound of Even's voice. Eva smiles, silently stands from the bed, grabs the half eaten bag of gummy bears and leaves Isak be.

When she returns a half hour later for her phone charger, Isak is sitting with his back to the wall, knees pulled to his chest but his lips are pulled wide as he bites his grinning lip so she knows he’s doing alright.

Eva returns to her sitting room and calls Noora herself and two hours later they're in a heated debate over Justin Bieber when Isak comes out of the room looking better than he has all week.

‘Thanks’ he mouths and Eva smiles, quickly and politely ends her conversation with Noora before they go back to binge watching movies.

…

Even and Isak both have an app on their phones that counts down the days until Even comes home for Christmas. They check it every morning after their alarms go off.

Some mornings Even grins because he sees that he's one day closer to seeing Isak again. Sometimes his heart will ache because it still seems so far away.

Isak checks the timer at least 5 times a day. When school is stressful or Eskild has a boy over, he checks it and reminds himself that Even will be home soon. That soon Even will be in his arms again and everything will be okay…well it will be for two weeks at least until Even has to go back but Isak doesn’t like to think about that.

No matter how much they miss the other, they are so fucking proud of each other.

Even's new friends and peers know Isak’s favourite colour before they know Even's surname. He talks about their amazing romantic dates where they re-enact classic movies. His film studies peers are of course very impressed by this and can’t understand how Isak didn’t get some of the references Even has made in their relationship.

He braces his hand under his chin while they’re waiting for their lecturer to arrive and dreamily gazes into the distance and talks about Isak’s hair and his beautiful eyes and he doesn't even realise how sappy he sounds until he hears the two girls he's talking to aw and giggle.

He’s not the only one though, Isak talks all the time about his extremely clever boyfriend who's studying to be a director in America. His boyfriend who is making short films, meeting directors and screenwriters and who's living his dream! He says every word about Even with a big grin and a sparkle in his eyes and whoever he’s talking to has no doubt of how much Isak loves him.

The boy squad know every single detail of Even's course and they don't even bother complaining because they know Isak is missing Even a lot so despite hearing about Even's roommate with the blue hair at least three times before, Magnus still awes and Mahdi still asks the others if he should dye his hair like that and Jonas still smiles and asks how Even is getting on.

Sana listens in Biology about the new film project Even is working on and the ideas he has for it. Sana offers her opinion on them and gives him a few of her own which Isak loves because it means Sana actually cares. Isak later texts the ideas to Even and when Even wakes up, he texts back how much he loves them and he’ll definitely use a few of them for the project.

The girls always try to be there for Isak which he supposes is nice of them. One night when he’s talking to Vilde at a party about Even, Chris flops down next to them and confesses that she knows exactly how he feels because she feels lost whenever she and her boyfriend don’t see each other for a few days.

Isak nods, drinks his beer and tries to pretend like that’s the same thing as not seeing Even for the past few months.

Chris pats his shoulder and tells him everything will be okay and Isak feels strangely comforted by that even though he’s still a little creeped out by Chris since the whole lollipop incident in first year.

For the next hour, Chris and Isak drunkenly talk about their amazing boyfriends and how much they miss them and when Isak admits that even though Even comes home in little over a month he’s beginning to feel more and more hollow with each passing day, Eva strokes his hair while Vilde reassures him that she’s sure Even misses him just as much because everyone knows from the way they looked at each other that they were true love.

Isak thinks that true love is a bit extreme to describe what he and Even have but then again if someone were to ask Isak how he would define true love, he supposes it would sound an awful lot like how he feels about Even.

…

Even continues to pour himself into his work in an effort to distract himself from missing Isak.

He puts all the effort he can into focusing in his lectures, he does all the assignments he get in advance and picks up a part time job at a coffee shop in an effort to forget the longing in his stomach for Isak.

On the not so good days when he can’t find it in him to get out of bed, he watches countless movies, short films and documentaries for research or for his own interest. He scribbles short notes while watching them, half the notes are things he can use in his assignments and the other half are cheesy moments from them that he can use with Isak.

Somehow Isak ends up creeping into Even’s short film project for his winter assessment.

Not prominently, it just so happens that the main character loves to wear infinity scarves and snapbacks and it’s purely coincidental that at the iconic climax scene, a song from the Pretty Woman soundtrack plays. And so what if the main characters eskimo-kiss a tad more often than necessary? It’s cute goddammit and totally normal and not inspired by anything or anyone. 

When he’s finished it, he sends the video to Isak who doesn’t notice all of this until he’s watched the short film at least 6 times and then he continues to watch it another 14 times that night. He’s so proud it’s unbelievable.

He skypes Even after he watches it the first time and rambles on about all the things he loved about it and how amazing it was and how talented Even is and how he’s going to become rich and famous and he better not abandon him when he starts working for Hollywood.

Even simply shakes his head and promises to take Isak with him but really he’s falling in love with Isak more and more as he gushes over his work.

It just…feels so good for his work to be validated, for someone to believe in him. His parents and even Sonja had thought this film production stuff was just a phase, one of his phases that he’ll grow out of.

Isak was the only one who saw the difference, who saw how much he loved creating things and encouraged him to do whatever he wanted. Even’s not sure how he can ever repay him for that.

Even is tempted to title the film ‘The Boy Who Couldn’t Hold His Breath Underwater’ but he’s not sure his lecturer would appreciate the long-winded title that has nothing to do with the actual project. Maybe he’ll save it for the next one.

…

The week before Christmas break, both of them are a nervous wreck.

It only makes it worse that Isak has Christmas exams and he can’t talk to Even as much as usual which kills him.

The only mildly good thing about Even being gone was that now Isak has more time to focus on his schoolwork, especially seeing as it’s his last year, he needs to get a lot of studying done which is much more possible without a gorgeous boyfriend practically living with him.

Thankfully Isak manages to focus during his exams and keep his mind off Even but outside of them, he’s constantly trying to keep busy to distract himself from the knowledge that Even’s coming home in just one week.

He studies more than he ever has in his entire life; he cleans his room about four times and then rearranges it twice before putting everything back where it was.

He just wants everything to be perfect for Even, for him to come back here and to…well to think of the kollektivet like Even’s own home.

As for Even, he was constantly agitated.

He would often unconsciously drum his fingers against his desk during his lectures, flex his hands or tap them against his phone, desperately giving his fingers something to do and wishing more than anything that Isak were here so he could run his fingers through his hair, or trail them down his jaw.

But then Even would grin widely and remember that he can do that in a week. Just one week.

They got through four months…they can get through another week…right?

…

They get through it. Of course they get through it.

Noora and Eskild go with Isak to the airport and honestly Isak isn’t sure who is more excited him or Eskild.

Noora is there to drive and to help Isak find his way to the gate because when they get there, Isak silently panics because there are so many people and none of them are Even and he has no idea where to go and he feels more estranged from Even than ever despite the fact that they’re closer now than they’ve been in months.

Even’s flight doesn’t land for another hour so the three of them get tea from the waiting area, Eskild wanted coffee but Noora said he was too hyper already. Isak keeps staring at the gate that Even will walk through in less than two hours, his heart won’t stop beating like he’s running a marathon and that’s when the doubts start to creep in.

What if it’s been too long? What if Even isn’t as excited to see him as he is to see Even? What if Even has decided that he likes America too much to come back to Norway again? Then Isak catches Eskild’s eye. Eskild’s demeanour suddenly goes from uncontrollably excited to calm and collected, he smiles softly at Isak, his eyes clearly reassuring him that everything will be okay.

For what must be the hundredth time over the past four months, Isak is eternally grateful for his guru.

…

Even can’t find his suitcase.

He’s running his hands through his hair so much that it must look horrendous. He can’t breathe.

He’s on the wrong side so he can’t tell whether the suitcases are still coming out but at least half the passengers on the plane have their bags already. His eyes are wide as they scan the quickly moving circle of suitcases and none of them are his.

He’s beyond tempted to just leave, to run to the gate and forget about his stupid suitcase because seeing Isak is more important. But Isak’s presents are in that bag, as well as the presents for everyone else and he’s got some sketches he drew for Isak in there too. Okay some is an understatement he drew Isak a sketch every day, enough to fill three sketchbooks in fact.

So he waits and he waits. It’s only when there’s about ten suitcases left that he realises that the plain black one that has passed him multiple times is his.

Even almost falls over his feet in an attempt to grab it and haul it off the machine. He checks the nametag to double check that it’s his, sighs in relief when he discovers it is and then hurries towards the exit.

He really should have listened to Noora when she warned him to put a bright, distinctive ribbon on his bag so he could notice it.

But that doesn’t matter now because now he’s going to see Isak.

…

Isak stands with his arms resting on the metal bars that separate those waiting from those arriving and he can’t believe he’s here.

It feels like so long ago that he was at this airport seeing Even off. Now he’s back again, waiting for Even to appear and it just feels so surreal. 

They’re standing in the middle, still waiting behind the bars though because Noora knew that if they stood at the centre, Isak wouldn’t be able to wait and would just run through before Even came into sight.

Noora and Eskild stand on either side of him and they can probably hear Isak’s thumping heart and his sharp intake of breath when people start coming through.

Isak knows they’re from Even’s flight, the thick American accent is proof enough…but where’s Even?

Five minutes pass, then ten and Isak is sure that if Eskild and Noora weren’t holding him that he’d fall over. Doubts and fears creep into Isak’s mind again and he feels like he’s going to throw up.

Even definitely got on the plane, he texted him before it took off. The gloating clock on the opposite wall tells him that Even’s plane should have landed almost twenty five minutes ago so then where is he?

Just when he’s about to check his phone to see if Even texted, Isak spots a familiar tall, blond haired boy who’s walking faster than anyone else around him.

For a second, everything stops.

Isak watches helplessly as Even scans the people who are waiting until finally, finally his eyes land on Isak’s.

His pace slows to a stop and his mouth opens ever so slightly to mouth one word, ‘Isak’.

It breaks the spell and then Isak is pulling away from Noora and Eskild and he’s running through the centre, into the scattered crowd of people and into Even’s arms. There’s a loud bang as Even’s suitcase drops to the floor but neither of them care, Even wrapping his arms around Isak, pulling him closer and ever so slightly lifting him up into the air is much more important than carrying that stupid suitcase.

There are hundreds of people around them, announcements going off every few minutes but that all becomes a hum of background noise and all Isak can hear is Even whispering “I love you”, “I missed you” and “I’m here, I’m home” repeatedly.

Isak tries to speak but whenever he tries, a sob escapes his lips so he settles for burying his face into Even’s neck and clinging to him as if his life depends on it.

It takes everything for them to pull away but it’s worth it when Even brings Isak down to stand on his feet again and leans down himself to capture his lips in the first real kiss they’ve had in months.

And if it’s possible, the kiss is something more than perfection.

…

On the drive home, everything is soft and quiet.

Eskild is still ecstatic to have Even home but after a quick hug and a ‘Good to see you home Even’, he remains silent. He knows this precious time is for Even and Isak and completely respects and understands that.

Noora gives Even and Isak a blanket from the boot and turns off the radio the second she starts up the car.

It’s not that late but it’s winter so the sky is pitch black outside anyway which makes the two boys in the backseat even more sleepy.

Even’s fighting off exhaustion from the plane and time difference while Isak only finished his exams two days ago so he’s quite tired too.

They sit there in the back of Noora’s car, Isak resting his head on Even’s shoulder, their fingers intertwined and for this minute they are together.

This minute they have each other, they are in love, they are safe and they are happy.

This minute they both know, was well worth waiting for.

...

**Author's Note:**

> *kjekken = handsome in Norwegian


End file.
